Ethiopia and Eritrea have severed diplomatic relations as renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia raises fears of a wider regional conflict.
On Thursday, Ethiopia announced that it was closing its embassy in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, accusing them of activities that threatened national security.
Eritrea responded by cutting diplomatic relations, saying Ethiopia's decision had left it with no choice but to take reciprocal action.
The diplomatic confrontation came hours after powerful explosions were heard overnight in Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, including near Ethiopia's military headquarters.
It follows a sharp deterioration in relations between the neighbours, with Ethiopia accusing Eritrea of supporting a new rebel alliance – an allegation Asmara has repeatedly denied.
Eritrea described the decision to expel its ambassador as "astounding".
"Eritrea has no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia," its foreign ministry said, warning of "negative corollaries" from the decision.
The diplomatic fallout comes as Ethiopian federal forces battle fighters from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and its allies across parts of the northern regions of Tigray, Afar and Amhara.
The cutting of ties mark a dramatic reversal from 2018, when Abiy restored relations with Eritrea after two decades of hostility, prompting joyous scenes as the border reopened and families separated for years were reunited.
The rapprochement helped earn the Ethiopian prime minister the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.
The latest hostilities are the most serious since a peace agreement ended the devastating Tigray war in 2022. An African Union mediator previously estimated that about 600,000 people had died during that two-year conflict.
Last month, the TPLF joined six other armed movements, including the Fano militia from Amhara, to form an alliance whose stated objective is to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government from power.
Source: BBC